One of the most confusing decisions for someone new to web hosting is to decide which platform their server should be on. For the purposes of this article, we are going to focus on the main two - Linux and Windows.

As a starter, both Windows and Linux have passionate followers who will tell you that their product is unparalleled and much better than the competition. Both types of hosting have their positives and negatives, and from an end-user standpoint, you should always be focused on what your site or server requirements are rather than your “predetermined” choice for a platform. More often than not, what you are trying to achieve will usually dictate what type of platform you use. For example, are you just hosting a blog, implementing a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution, concerned about stability and uptime, have specific application requirements or have high uptime requirements? Knowing this, the best thing you can do is talk over your requirements with your hosting company and have them break down what the best solution ought to be for your purposes.